FAIRFIELD &GT;&GT; First there was the work permit. Then the green card. And finally, the application.

For Vallejo resident Ana Gloria, decades of paperwork and waiting finally paid off Saturday when she took her oath and became a naturalized United States citizen.

"I feel so happy," Gloria said after the ceremony at the Solano County Library, surrounded by her children and family.

Gloria was one of 43 immigrants who received their citizenship Saturday in a packed room of the library.

After joining together to sing "The Star Spangled Banner," the soon-to-be citizens heard remarks from volunteers and organizers with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fairfield Mayor Harry Price gave the keynote address.

"It feels pretty good, doesn't it?," Price said, tracing his family history back through Pennsylvania to Germany and Wales.

Price said the crowd would feel even better once they had a chance to share the moment with their families. Price admitted one of his greatest handicaps is only speaking one language — a mistake he encouraged the crowd not to make as they move forward.

"Share your first language with your children. Make certain they speak at least two languages," Price said.

The mayor also encouraged them to pick up a voter registration form on their way out of the library and begin exercising the duties that come with citizenship.

After swearing to uphold the law and defend the Constitution of the United States, the new citizens then heard recorded remarks from President Obama before singing "Proud To Be An American" together.

The cohort was a diverse one, with home countries ranging from Slovakia and Tonga to China and Pakistan. The largest group came from the Philippines, with 16 newly admitted citizens, and Mexico, with 14 citizens.

So far, nearly 415,000 people have been naturalized across the country this year. About 777,000 were naturalized last year.

Gloria, who immigrated in 1988, originally hailed from El Salvador, where she gave birth to two of her three children. Those two still have to go through the naturalization process, they said.

The road to citizenship is a tough and drawn-out process, Gloria said.

Still, she's proud of what she's accomplished, excitedly holding up her naturalization certificate and dancing down the aisle to the cheers of her children.

"You work very hard for your children. I'm so happy for them," said Gloria, taking the time to pose outside the library with her family and an American flag.